


The Boy Next Door

by dcharmaine



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: F/M, Secret Santa Fic, attorney lydia, single dad jordan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-25
Updated: 2016-01-20
Packaged: 2018-05-09 09:11:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5534261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dcharmaine/pseuds/dcharmaine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Lydia Martin moves in next door, she's intrigued by her next door neighbors.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome Home.

Lydia had just moved into the Stone Haven community. From the outside looking in, it seemed perfect—quiet, clean, and it had the most beautiful houses she’d ever seen. Cold, but still beautiful. She could actually be completely alone and get some work done, or so she thought. When she moved into her new house, she received a whole welcoming committee. One after another, neighbors brought her baked goods and care packages to help her get settled. For the most part, they were just being nosey and attempting to pry into her personal life. _Where was her boyfriend? Why would she move into such a big house alone? What was her business for coming into town? What did she do for a living? If her kids be joining her soon, because their kids could have playdates together. Has she ever been arrested, and what for?_ The list of questions goes on, and to each nosey neighbor Lydia simply smiled politely before showing them their way out of her home or shutting the door in their faces. When the doorbell rang later that night, Lydia was hesitant to answer the door, but against her better judgement she did anyway.

“Hi,” a man smiled at her. He was gorgeous, to say the least. Lydia smiled back, but braced herself for this little interaction to go wrong. “I live next door and noticed on my way inside that you moved in. We just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood.”

 _We?_ Lydia looked around for a second person, thinking he had brought his girlfriend with him. He didn’t. She looked down and saw a young girl to his side, holding his hand. “Well, thank you—um…” She crossed her arms. Lydia didn’t know what to call him. She didn’t even get his name.

“Oh, right! Jordan…” he shook his head. “I’m Jordan Parrish and this is my daughter, Melissa.” The little girl stared up at Lydia silently. She looked no older than about seven or eight years old.

“Lydia. Martin.” She tilted her head slightly. “You know what? It’s—it’s kind of chilly out tonight. Why don’t you two come inside?” Lydia made space for them to walk in, but they stayed still.

“No, that’s alright. I don’t want to impose on your plans. But welcome to the neighborhood, and on behalf of the entire neighborhood—I’m so sorry.” Jordan chuckled. “I know they get a little too carried away when someone new moves in. You should’ve been here last year for their uproar about me being a single dad.” Jordan stopped talking, debating if he really should’ve said that until he realized it didn’t actually matter. “Uh, you’ll love it here.” He rubbed the back of his neck and started backing away slowly. “I have to get Mel home, but it was nice meeting you Lydia.” Jordan turned away and crossed over into his yard.

“So I’ll see you later, then?” Lydia raised her voice just enough for him to hear and agree. She closed the door and laughed.

The remainder of the night was dedicated to work. Lydia was the new prosecutor in town by day, and by night she found herself baking. She had been attempting to add a new recipe to her menu. Back home in Santa Monica she would run a small catering business from the kitchen of her beach house. There was inspiration in everything to help her come up with new recipes. Cake was her specialty. But now in Boston, the coldest weather she’d ever experienced, it was difficult to find a new creation. She needed a break. Pie always does the trick. Lydia went to the kitchen and grabbed the sweet potato pie she’d made earlier that day, a spoon, and then sat back on the couch to brainstorm the possibilities. Nothing felt right. “Ah, forget it.” Two hours had passed and she still hadn’t made any progress. Lydia settled for sleep. She’d continue working her recipe book in the morning when she woke.

_________________________________________________________

The clock in the kitchen read 12:45 pm. Lydia made her way over to Jordan’s place, knocking on the door. It opened slowly, revealing Melissa who still wasn’t smiling. _Must be me_ , Lydia thought. “Hi Melissa,” she smiled. “Is your daddy home?” As if right on cue, she could hear Jordan’s voice calling Melissa to go finish her lunch. Melissa shut the door and ran away while Lydia was confused about whether or not Melissa was actually telling Jordan that she was there. Lydia drew her hand towards the doorbell but stopped and removed it. Then again, but stopped. Finally Lydia decided to go through with it. Just before she could touch the round button, Jordan opened the door and Lydia smiled.

“Lydia?” Jordan was surprised to see her standing there. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m sorry. Did I catch you at a bad time?” Lydia eyed Jordan’s choice of wardrobe—a fresh suit, with the black jacket over his forearm.

“Huh? No, sorry. I’m just getting ready for work. Well, sort of. More like the courthouse.” Lydia raised an eyebrow as he let her come inside. “I’m… a cop.” Lydia’s interest was suddenly higher than it previously had been. She’d always been intrigued by first responders—cops, paramedics, firefighters… She couldn’t tell you why, but she loved them. “I have to testify at a murder trial today and Melissa refuses to just eat her food.” He chuckled as he tried to fix his tie in a rush, but failed without having a mirror to look into.

“Here, let me.” Lydia laughed along. She set the dessert she’d been carrying on the small table next to her, and took Jordan’s tie in her hands. She adjusted, looped, and pulled on the tie as needed. She even threw in a couple of glances at Jordan when she didn’t think he’d be paying attention. He was. Try as he might, Jordan failed to keep a straight face. He smiled, instead.

“What’s that?” Jordan looked down at the table just as Lydia finished tying his tie and smoothed it down against his chest.

“Oh, that. Right.” Lydia picked it up. “I just came over to give you this beautiful cake I baked fresh today. I was hoping maybe when you had time you could try it and tell me what you think of my new recipe.”

Jordan accepted it, and could immediate smell it. Red velvet. “Wow that smells great.” A smile slowly spread across his face. “Thank you, Lydia. Are you…like a pastry chef or something?”

“Or something,” she shrugged. “I’m a lawyer. Baking is just a hobby of mine.” Lydia left her statement alone with an open ending. “Uh, yeah. Well enjoy the cake, and I’m gonna just get out of your way.” She turned around and opened the door to leave, but Jordan grabbed her wrist before she could.

“Why don’t you come over later? For dinner.” He twisted his index finger and thumb around his ring finger, where his wedding band used to be. Force of habit. Jordan always attempts to twist that ring when he gets nervous. “It’s—It’s Lasagna Friday. We can try out this cake together after.” Why was he nervous? He knew shouldn’t have been nervous. All they were doing was getting to know each other. It was in no way… a date.

“I shouldn’t,” Lydia paused and pressed her lips together. She watched as he slowly nodded and let go of her wrist. “It’s not that I don’t want to. I just—I have a bunch of work to do tonight. And I don’t think Melissa would want me intruding on dinner. ‘Lasagna Friday’ sounds special. So…” Her voice trailed off and they stood in silence. “How about lunch? Tomorrow? You can show me the best food in all of Boston.” Jordan smiled and agreed.

The next day, Lydia woke up freezing. After getting dressed for the day, she headed downstairs and started the fireplace. There was a knock at the door. Lazily, Lydia made her way to the entrance. She opened the door, running her right hand through her hair. “Jordan?” A gush of wind blew in passed Jordan. “Uh come in,” Lydia moved out of the doorway, closing it behind Jordan and Melissa. They walked alongside Lydia to the living room, where the heat of the fire quickly consumed them. “You’re… early.” It was only noon. They were supposed to meet at 1.

“Yeah,” Jordan shrugged his coat off. “Change of plans. We’re snowed in.” Lydia’s face dropped as she rushed to the window and opened the blinds. Lydia hated the cold. There were walls of snow surrounding her car. Neighbors across the street had been shoveling the snow from their yards and into the street. Lydia would not get used to this.

“Daddy,” Melissa whispered to Jordan. “Let’s goooo. Hungry. Now.” Lydia turned around. This was her chance to get Melissa to open up to her a little. Walking towards the couch Jordan and Melissa were sitting, she could hear Jordan telling his daughter that they would be eating with Lydia and to wait just a little longer.

“Melissa?” The little girl glared at Lydia. “What’s your favorite food?”

“Pizza.” She leaned back into the cushion.

“Hmmm… Well it looks like you’re in luck, kid!” Lydia walked passed the couch they were sitting on.

“You have pizza?” Melissa was shocked.

“No.” Lydia shook her head and Melissa rolled her eyes. “We’re gonna make some! Come on, guys.” They followed Lydia to the kitchen.

“Oooh,” she heard Melissa whisper. At the same time Jordan let out a quick “whoa.” Lydia smiled, knowing what they were referring to. Lydia had been busy the past couple of nights recreating old recipes. There were cookies on the counters. Cakes and pies rested on racks along the wall. She’d even been sampling a few cheesecake recipes.

They each washed their hands. Lydia set out ingredients for the pizza’s crust and instructed Jordan and Melissa on each of the steps in the crust recipe. They let the dough rise for an hour.

Melissa watched cartoons in the living room while Lydia and Jordan stayed behind in the kitchen. “So,” Lydia set the cookie platter between them on the table. “What ever happened to _Mrs._ Parrish?” She took a bite out of a Christmas tree shaped sugar cookie.

“She uh—It just didn’t work.” Jordan looked up at Lydia and could tell she wanted more. “Amy left when Melissa was three. That’s pretty much all there was to it.” What Jordan wasn’t saying was that he just woke up one morning and she was gone. No warning signs and no reason why. Amy cleared her clothes out of the closet and left her ring on her pillow while Jordan slept. Neither he nor Melissa had heard from Amy ever since.

Lydia nodded slowly. “Well at least Melissa has you to spoil her, right?”

“I’m all she has, but…” Jordan paused and looked at all the sweets around them. “I don’t think she’s ever going to want to leave this place. You’re spoiling her now.”

The timer for the dough went off, so Lydia went to check on it and preheat the oven. Melissa ran at full speed into the kitchen crashing into Lydia who lost her balance. Her foot slipped and Lydia fell backwards. Jordan caught her midair. His hands rested on her waist and her head on his shoulder. “Gotcha,” he laughed.

“Um thanks,” she smiled.

“Come on!” Melissa leaned forward onto the counter, standing on the tips of her toes, looking at the dough which was now rolled flat. “I want pepperoni.”  She stepped back. “Daddy come here!” Melissa pulled Jordan away from Lydia and stood in between them.

“Okay, uh…” Lydia opened the fridge and searched for the pepperoni. “Hey Jordan, why don’t you fold the edges over while I find the pepperonis?” _Ham, sausage, lunch meat, provolone cheese… pepperoni!_ Lydia set the pepperonis, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese on the counter next to the crust. Lydia spread the tomato sauce along the base of the dough, glancing over at Jordan once in a while. He caught her gaze a couple of times when she thought she was being sneaky. They’d just smile or laugh it off while Melissa excitedly decorated the pizza with cheese and pepperonis.

After the pizza finished baking Jordan cut it into slices with a pizza wheel. Lydia, Jordan, and Melissa took their food to the living room where they watched Inside Out together on Lydia’s huge tv screen. Melissa fell asleep leaning on Lydia at the middle of the movie. Lydia was shocked and Jordan couldn’t help but chuckle. He tried to pick Melissa up and take her home to her own bed, but Lydia stopped him. “No, stay.” And so he did. Though it was never something she had considered before, Lydia could get used to this.


	2. The Note

It had been three months since Lydia moved next door. Lydia and Jordan were much closer at that point. It was all still pretty innocent fun. They’ve realized that they actually did have feelings for one another, and that those feelings happened to be mutual. They haven’t gone out once though. They work together. It wouldn’t be _ethical_ to date. But also… They have Melissa to think about. How could they possibly pursue anything knowing that if it doesn’t end well Melissa could actually be hurt by it too? Simple fix to that? They don’t acknowledge anything more than their friendship. At least they try not to, but it doesn’t always work out that way.

“Lydia!” Melissa smiled and ran through the snow to hug her. Lydia was glad that Melissa finally dropped the ‘Miss’ in front of her name, but she was even happier that Melissa didn’t actually hate her as she initially thought. Jordan watched from his car door as his daughter embraced Lydia. He smiled. It was turning into a regular event. Melissa opening up to Lydia.

“Hi,” Lydia laughed. “How was school?”

“Ask him,” Melissa rolled her eyes and pointed to Jordan.

“Hey!” Jordan joined the girls. “That kid was being mean to another little boy. I just explained to him that he shouldn’t be mean to other people. And…”

“Oh no,” Lydia eyed the badge hanging around Jordan’s neck. “Don’t let there be an ‘and’.”

“Then I went on to say that when he grows up if he’s mean to other people it might mean… going to… _big boy detention_.” He chuckled, looking down at the pink brick patterns of Lydia’s driveway.

Lydia laughed, burying her face into her right hand. “Jordan you can’t go around telling kids they’ll get arrested!”

“And then I told _him_ ,” Melissa looked up at Jordan who was now standing right beside Lydia. “He’s been a bad boy and he can’t have cake. Don’t give him any, Lydia!”

“I’m grounded.” Jordan joked. “But it’s okay to sneak me some anyway,” he whispered into Lydia’s ear.

“Not a chance,” she led the duo into her house. Every day when Melissa gets home from school they go over to Lydia’s. As a reward for being good in school, Melissa managed to talk Lydia into letting her be the first to try new recipes. Desserts only. That’s where they were headed. The kitchen. Melissa kicked her shoes off at the door, and then ran to the kitchen counter. 

“Hey Lydia?” Jordan called her back just before she could turn to enter the kitchen.

“Yeah?” She turned around. Jordan was biting his lip, trying to figure out how to say what he was thinking. “You… want a favor, don’t you?” He looked up at her amazed that she somehow guessed it. “You bite your lip when you want something. What is it?” Lydia crossed her arms.

“It’s—It’s not that big a favor. Just hear me out, okay?” Jordan was nervous, but Lydia nodded. “Okay here goes nothing… I have to go on a stakeout tonight, which means I need you to watch Melissa for me.”

“Done.”

“I mean I know I’ve never asked you for anything like this before but I need someone I trust and—uh…“ Jordan stopped talking. “Done? That was too easy. What do you want?”

“Can’t I just agree to watch your kid without wanting anything in return?”

“…Sure.” Jordan pressed his lips together. “I know there’s a catch in there somewhere, but sure.”

“Besides,” Lydia smiled. “You guys are spending the entire day with me tomorrow.”

“We… what?” Jordan never agreed to that.

“We don’t have work tomorrow, you know. “ Lydia shrugged her shoulders. “And Melissa doesn’t go back to school for two days, so why not?”

“Maybe.” He knew she wouldn’t give up very easily. It wasn’t in her nature, so he knew he had to give her _something_. “We’ll see.” The sound of glass breaking came from the kitchen. “Melissa?” Jordan called as he and Lydia ran to check on her.

“I’m sorry!” She looked up. Her hand was on top of the counter where a custom-made cookie dish once was. Melissa wasn’t hurt, but Lydia couldn’t say the same for her dish.

“It’s…” Lydia bit down on her lip. _Melissa’s just a kid,_ Lydia had to remind herself. _It was just an accident._ “It’s okay,” she sighed. “As long as you’re alright.”

“Sorry Lydia.” Jordan stood next to her observing the mess Melissa made. “Maybe tonight you guys just… stay at my place where she can’t break anything.” Jordan made it a point to child proof his entire house.

“Good idea,” Lydia forced a smile. She pulled a broom and dustpan out of the closet beside her.

“Here I got it,” Jordan took the broom from Lydia’s grip. “It’s the least I can do.” He swept and got rid of all the shards of glass scattered around the kitchen floor. Directly afterwards, he and Melissa went home. Without cake.

_______________________________________

Later that night, Lydia headed over to Jordan’s house. He opened the door for her before she even had a chance to knock on it. “Oh hey,” he laughed down at his feet and bit his lip. Obviously they were just completely in sync because he had no idea she was coming over so soon. It was instinct. “Come in.” Jordan moved to the side so Lydia could make her way through the door frame. Her arms had been crossed as she walked. Lydia did that a lot, but mainly it was just cold outside that night and her jacket wasn’t thick enough to keep her arms warm until she entered the house. Jordan slowly closed the door and joined Lydia.

“So what’s the plan for tonight?” Lydia faced Jordan. “I mean I’ve never actually been alone with her.”

“It’s pretty simple,” Jordan laughed. He rested his hand on Lydia’s back, guiding her down the hall. “Just…don’t think about my absence. Do exactly what you’d do if it was all three of us tonight.” They went into the kitchen where Melissa was eating dinner. Lasagna.

“That doesn’t really help.”

“Are you hungry?” Jordan headed to the dishwasher and reached for a plate.

“Uh yeah,” Lydia sat down at the round table and Jordan grabbed an extra plate. “Thanks.” Jordan set Lydia’s lasagna in front of her and poured them drinks into a couple of glasses. Lydia cut into the food with her fork and tasted it. “Not bad,” she smiled across the table at Jordan. She was being pretty vague. What she meant to say was she needed his recipe. Lydia always thought she made the best lasagna, but his was slightly better than Lydia’s.

“Well you’re not the only decent cook in town.” Jordan returned a grin to Lydia. He looked away, but Lydia narrowed her eyes at him as she chewed more food. A man who can cook… Check. She liked that. It was official. This whole ignoring her feelings for Jordan thing was not going to be easy at all. He intrigued her. Every little thing he did…captured Lydia. Definitely not a part of her plan. She was supposed to move to a new town, get her fresh start, and under no circumstances grow attached to anybody. Jordan Parrish definitely broke that rule for her. He didn’t even do anything significant to cause this, and that’s precisely what confused Lydia.

Before Lydia knew it, Jordan had to leave. “Bye-bye Daddy!” Melissa ran to the staircase, where Jordan had just descended and held his jacket looped onto his forearm.

“Bye sweetheart,” he smiled picking her up. Melissa locked her arms around Jordan. She never liked when he left. If Melissa had it her way, Jordan would stay home with her every day and night. “I’ll miss you.” Lydia leaned against the wall, smiling at their interactions. Jordan lowered Melissa back onto the ground and she let go, knowing it was time for him to go.

Jordan turned the corner and headed down the hallway. Lydia followed behind him. They were silent during the entire walk until they reached the front door. “So,” Lydia traced a line in the door with her finger. “Be careful out there tonight.” Lydia caught Jordan’s gaze as he shifted his jacket from his arm to his hand.

“I’ll see you later, Lydia.” Jordan nodded. He took a step toward her, closing the huge gap between them. _What now?_ He didn’t actually know how to continue. There was no way he was going to kiss her. They had a mutual unspoken understanding. Kissing her would violate that agreement. But for the record, that’s all he wanted in that moment. So what could he possibly do? Jordan brushed Lydia’s hair behind her ear, contemplating how to end this encounter which he assumed would quickly turn awkward if it didn’t end soon. His hand cupped against the side of her face. Lydia stared up at him wondering where this would go. _Don’t make this so hard,_ Jordan thought to himself. It wasn’t like he was never coming back home. Jordan never had to say goodbye to Lydia before though. He removed his hand from her cheek and pulled Lydia into a hug. “As soon as I can get out of there. Promise.” Jordan let Lydia go. And honestly? Neither of them wanted him to. They couldn’t fall prey to their feelings though. It wouldn’t benefit anybody in the long run, at least that was what they’d spent the last couple of months telling themselves.

“Lydia!” They could hear Melissa’s distant voice calling out for her. “Lydiaaaa!” She got closer.

“That’s my cue.” Lydia’s eyes never left Jordan’s. “I should uh… I should go check on her.”

“Yeah.” Jordan cleared his throat. “I’m gonna be late if I don’t leave now so…” He backed away from Lydia slowly, shrugging his arms into his jacket. He searched for something to say to leave things on terms much less weird than they seemed to be, but he came up empty. Lydia could tell, so she nodded to let him know she understood. Then she moved from the door and began walking down the hall. Jordan watched as she did. “See ya, Lydia.” He said it more to himself than to her. Just like that he left and locked the door behind him.

Melissa crashed into Lydia and fell down. “There you are!” Melissa stood to her feet, pulling at Lydia’s hand excitedly. “Come on! Come see!” Lydia wasn’t moving quickly enough, so Melissa let go of Lydia’s hand and ran ahead.

“Melissa, wait for me!” Lydia jogged to the end of the hall, where Melissa was practically jumping out of her skin impatiently waiting. “I’m here. What’s going on?”

“Look!” Melissa pointed to the dimly lit living room. Together they entered the room and Lydia looked around.

“Wow,” Lydia smiled. The furniture had been turned into props to form a homemade tent for the night. On the outside, several layers of bed sheets. Jordan helped Melissa build it so Lydia could fit inside easily. On the inside of the tent, pillows and blankets. “You did this for me?”

“Yup!” Melissa crawled inside. “Daddy helped. It was fun.” _Of course._ Lydia smiled to herself and crawled into the big tent with Melissa. They stayed there all night playing games until Melissa decided to play hide and seek. Thirty minutes later it was Lydia’s turn to find Melissa again. She’d been hiding inside an empty cabinet near the kitchen’s pantry. Lydia couldn’t find her though. Ten minutes had passed before Lydia decided to check the kitchen. She ran through the hall and entered the kitchen from the adjoining dining room.

“Melissa?” Lydia was close, she could just feel it. But how close was what she couldn’t figure out. “I know you’re around here somewhere!” Lydia smiled so sure that she would catch Melissa by surprise. Melissa giggled, covering her mouth to muffle the tiny sounds coming out. Lydia ran her hand along the edge of the counter above Melissa, accidentally knocking down a pile of mail. She knelt down to pick up the scattered envelopes when she noticed the distinct smell of vanilla scented perfume. It was coming from two pink index cards which were obviously out of place. Big curvy letters printed in dark blue ink. The first read: **Knock, knock.** The other: **Tick. Tock.** “What is this?” Lydia whispered.

She put the mail back on the counter where it belonged, but she kept thinking about those index cards. _What could they mean? Threats maybe? A past suspect angry at Jordan?_ Lydia continued her search for Melissa. Underneath tables. Inside closets and the pantry. Back to the living room. Inside the tent. Melissa’s bedroom and then Jordan’s. Another index card was on Jordan’s bedside table. **Hello old friend. Tick tock.** The notes were starting to get to Lydia. Who was leaving them, and why fixate on Jordan?

“Lydia, where are you?” Melissa was searching for Lydia since it was taking forever the other way around. “Lydia?” Melissa’s voice got closer. “Why are you in Daddy’s room?”

Lydia turned around shocked. She hadn’t even heard Melissa calling her. Lydia was too consumed by the thought of those index cards and the notes written on them. “Looking for you.” She shook her head. “Sorry Melissa. How about we go grab some of that cake we never got a chance to try earlier?”

“Yeah!” Melissa’s face lit up as she ran away from her father’s door and down the stairs. Lydia took one last look at the index card before joining Melissa. She couldn’t explain it, but something was about to happen. And in no way would she like it. Lydia closed Jordan’s door, headed back downstairs, and transferred two slices of cake from a plastic container to paper plates. This one had cookie crumbs on top, which especially excited Melissa. She ran into the tent with her cake and when Lydia crawled in they ate their dessert together. “Lydia?”

“Hm?” Lydia took her time chewing the cake, but she stopped when she heard Melissa’s question.

“Do you like Daddy?” Melissa was smiling. “I think he likes you. You make him smile. Do you?”

“Of course,” Lydia swallowed. “Your dad’s a great friend.”

“No silly,” Melissa laughed. “You know what I mean.” It was true, she just didn’t know whether or not to answer it that way.

“Well,” Lydia set her plate down. “Just between us girls? Yes.” They both smiled.

“What’s going on in here?” Jordan poked his head through the opening of the tent, a grin on his face.

“That was…quick.” Stakeouts usually took longer back home. At least that’s how it seemed. Lydia looked at the time on her phone. 11:30 pm. Okay, so it was kind of late. And Melissa should’ve been asleep a long time ago.

“We got everything we needed. Jones is going down.” Jordan crawled into the tent with the girls. “And I had a couple of uniforms take over for us. Just in case.”

“Alright, well I should go.” Lydia backed out of the tent. “I’ll see you guys later.” She stood onto her feet and gathered her things.

“Wait!” Jordan ran after her. “It’s pretty late. You—you don’t _have_ to go.” His hands stuffed into his pockets.

Lydia smiled up at him. “Yeah, but I should go. We both know it’s better that way.” She ran her hand over a lump in Jordan’s shirt, smoothing it down against his chest.

“Yeah but…” Jordan held Lydia’s hand in place where she left it. “You want to stay. And I want you to.” Lydia watched Jordan bite down on his lip again. Her eyes lingered there.

“I…” Lydia shook her head. “I should get going.” She stepped forward and planted a brief kiss on Jordan’s cheek. “See you tomorrow?”

“I’ll take what I can get.” He chuckled letting her hand go. “Thank you for tonight, Lydia.”

Watching over Melissa? Yeah, no big deal since she’s definitely warmed up to Lydia now. “Anytime.” Lydia smiled and left. She crossed over into her yard and saw something sticking to her car’s windshield. She reached for it and continued walking to her doorstep. The closer she got to the light, the easier it was to see what was in her hand. **Stay Away.** Lydia looked around franticly for anybody who might have been out of place. Nobody. She was the only person outside. Lydia slowly approached her door and saw black rose petals sprinkled across her “welcome” mat.

There was no way Lydia was staying at her place. For all she knew, somebody could’ve been inside waiting for her. But why leave a note if they were going to be inside? She wasn’t going to wait and find out. Lydia crossed back over to Jordan’s house and knocked on the door, looking around to make sure she wasn’t being watched.

“Lydia?” Jordan could tell something was bothering her. “You alright?” He looked in the same direction as she had previously been staring into.

“Yeah,” she smiled at him. “I just changed my mind.”

He didn’t buy it for a second. “Come on,” Jordan took Lydia’s hand, pulled her into the house, and looked out the door a final time before shutting it. When Jordan wasn’t looking Lydia stuffed the note into the pocket of her jacket. She didn’t plan on telling him about it. Lydia just couldn’t do that and get him all worked up about nothing. But if she actually thought it was nothing, she wouldn’t have gone back to him instead of inside her own house or hid the note. Somebody was watching the both of them, obviously very closely. It was up to them to watch out for each other now.


	3. Sleepover

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Totally forgot to post this! Enjoy :)

They stopped talking nearly an hour prior when they decided they should probably go their separate ways. Lydia had been tossing and turning ever since then in the guest room she decided to stay in. She just couldn’t sleep thinking about the notes and being so close but still so far away from Jordan. His bedroom was directly across from hers. Five feet between their rooms. There was a branch hitting and scratching against the window in Lydia’s room. She gave up on sleep and crossed from her room to Jordan’s door. Lydia knocked on it lightly, trying not to wake him if he had already drifted off to sleep. He hadn’t. Jordan was still awake just staring up at the ceiling. “It’s open, sweetheart!” He thought it was Melissa knocking on his door because she had a bad dream. It happened sometimes, but not this time. The door opened and closed, and Jordan noticed a taller figure than he expected walking through his dark room. “Lydia?” He sat up, turning the light on beside him.

“Yeah sorry.” She winced at the sudden brightness. “I tried not to wake you.”

‘You didn’t,” he stood up and met her halfway.

“I swore to myself I wouldn’t do this,” Lydia laughed dryly looking at his bare chest. “But do you mind if I…” Lydia paused and looked up into his eyes. She was about to finish her question, but he did it for her.

“Sleep with me.” It was more of a suggestion than him filling in the blank of Lydia’s incomplete question. Jordan took Lydia’s hand and they walked to his bed. Jordan took the right and turned the light back off while Lydia took the left side. They were too far apart and Lydia knew it. She scooted in closer, now in the middle of the bed. Jordan looked over at the outline of Lydia and laughed to himself. He closed the gap between them. Their arms were now touching and it still felt kind of…off. They both knew what it was, but could they really afford to let it happen? Lydia and Jordan were sharing a bed together with the intense urge for more to happen. They wanted the moment to be more romantic than they could allow it to be. “This isn’t any better, is it?”

“Nope,” Lydia blinked. “Not at all.” She sighed. There had to be some way to make the situation more comfortable. “Maybe if I just…” Lydia rested her head on Jordan’s chest and Jordan wrapped his arm around her.

“So?” He wasn’t sure if they were making it better or worse. “How about now?” It was slightly better, but not ideal.

“Your pulse is going wild.” Lydia relaxed into him and smiled. She knew his heart must’ve been racing by the sound of it, and it was. They weren’t even doing anything, but it was somehow enough. It always was.

“Lydia?”

“Hm?”

“How long are we going to keep doing this?” Lydia wasn’t sure which “this” he was referring to. The position they were in physically or emotionally? One they could change in an instant, but the other they’d have to convince themselves would be okay. Lydia remained silent. “We can’t avoid it forever, can we? I mean… look at us now.” Lydia knew what Jordan was saying made sense, and she’d be lying if she said she hadn’t thought about it too.

“I don’t know.” She sat up, so Jordan followed her lead.

“So what do we do?”

“I don’t know.” It was hard for her to believe she didn’t actually have an answer. Lydia took charge of most things, but dating a single dad? She never imagined that someday she might, and now that it was a possibility she was had no idea what the right answer would be. Lydia had already fallen for Jordan. She didn’t want to get hurt, but she had to risk it. Right? That was the only way to find out if it would work out. “Maybe we…give it a shot?” They had to try. No regrets. “Like a free trial I guess. If it doesn’t work out we just walk away from the possibility of a relationship and stay friends.”

“And what about Melissa? Do we just…” Jordan couldn’t believe what he was about to say. “Not tell her at all?”

“That’s a bit tricky.” Lydia nodded slightly. “We keep it to ourselves, yes. But only until we’re sure this can work.”

“Okay.” Jordan agreed only because it was the only way to protect Melissa from getting hurt if it didn’t work. “Let’s try it.” They reverted back to their previous position—Lydia resting on Jordan’s chest.

“Jordan?”

“Yeah?”

“I know about the notes.” Lydia traced patterns onto Jordan’s stomach with her finger. “The index cards.”

Jordan was quiet this time. He thought he hid those pretty well. “What about them?”

“What do they mean?”

“It’s just…gibberish. It doesn’t matter.” He just didn’t want her to worry. “I think I know who it is, but I need proof first.”

“Said the victims on every lifetime movie ever just before something tragic happens to them.”

“What about yours?” Jordan surprised Lydia. “Where was it? What did it say?”

“How did you—“

“Lucky guess.” Jordan shook his head. “Or I just… noticed how jumpy you were when you came back.” And so Lydia told him everything he wanted to know. Maybe if they could put all the details together, sooner rather than later, they could figure out what was going on.

“Alright enough of this,” Lydia broke free of Jordan’s grip after ten minutes of utter silence. He was confused. “Come here, temporary boyfriend.” Lydia positioned herself over him. Her legs planted into Jordan’s bed at both sides of him. Hands on his chest, moving upward as she moved her face closer to his. “It’s been a long night,” she whispered. “And I just want you to finally kiss me now.”

Jordan nodded happily. His hands found her waist and he brushed his lips against Lydia’s. They connected slowly. Jordan’s already warm body started to heat up as the kiss intensified. It wasn’t supposed to be anything except one innocent kiss, but who was going to object to where it was leading? They liked it. Lydia giggled when Jordan stopped and flipped her onto her back so he was on top. Her hands wrapped around the back of his neck. She looked up into his eyes. Were they glowing? No, they couldn’t have been. Lydia blinked and they still appeared to be glowing orange. He was waiting for her to acknowledge that it was okay since she’d already seen his eyes change. She smiled. It was hot. Lydia pulled Jordan down to her level and began kissing him again. This time it wasn’t slowly building to intensity. It started off intense and only grew more and more aggressive. Lydia’s body was rubbing against Jordan’s. He let out a low growl. Jordan moved his body to the rhythm of hers. Lydia bit down on Jordan’s lip and he groaned.

Jordan stopped in his tracks. He heard an extra heartbeat nearby and footsteps approaching his bedroom. “Melissa, _”_ Jordan realized and dropped his head. Jordan had never been so proud that Melissa was completely human. She didn’t have heightened senses the way he did. He rolled off of Lydia and ran to his closet to throw actual clothes on. “We should probably not do anything like that anymore while she’s home.” Jordan plopped down on the bed beside Lydia and covered her up with his blanket.

“Definitely,” she looked over at him. “Some other time.”

“Dad?” Melissa knocked on the door loudly. She opened the door and stood there, waiting for him to get out of bed.

“That’s _my_ cue,” Jordan whispered. He left to perform his routine fatherly duties. He led Melissa back to her bedroom down the hall. Melissa gripped her plush horse in her arms while Jordan checked the room for monsters. “Nope, all clear Buttercup.” Jordan carried her to her bed and pulled the covers over her. “No monsters.”

“Look again.”

“Yeah.” He smiled, double-checking the bedroom for anything that shouldn’t have been there. “Still nothing. Do you need me to stay here for a few minutes while you go back to sleep?”

“No,” she yawned. “It’s okay.”

“Night, sweetheart.” She’d already fallen asleep.

Jordan walked out of the room, closing the door behind him slowly. When he got back to his own room he found Lydia still waiting up for him. He didn’t need Lydia’s offer of a risk-free trial relationship to know what he wanted. Jordan, Lydia, and Melissa—that was the way he wanted it to stay. He climbed into bed grinning at Lydia. “What?” She giggled.

“Nothing,” he took her back into his arms. “Realizing just how lucky I am right now.”


	4. Come See & Be Gone.

Over the next several weeks, Jordan kept receiving notes from his vigilant visitor. She wasn’t very concerned about Lydia, at least she didn’t seem to be. Apparently Lydia wasn’t much of a threat to whatever this person’s mission happened to be. She did receive an occasional note, though. Lydia wasn’t worried anymore, not for herself. The curiosity about what was in store for Jordan never decreased. Lydia had just made it over to Jordan’s house from work. She lifted her hand to knock on the door, but there was another note stuck to it so she read it.

**It’s been a little while, old friend. Counting down the days (TEN). See you soon!**

“That doesn’t sound good.” Lydia pulled it off the door and saw there was writing on the back.

**P.S. That Lydia is gorgeous. Can’t really say I’m surprised. Your taste is _impeccable_.**

“Am I supposed to be flattered?”

“Whatcha got?” Jordan stood in the doorway. He glanced down at the note in Lydia’s right hand.

“Eh,” she shrugged. “ _Gibberish._ ”

Jordan smiled. He knew she was referring to the first time they’d discussed the notes and he called them gibberish so she wouldn’t worry. He pulled the note from Lydia’s fingertips wondering if that was what she was doing too. Jordan read both sides of the card and looked up at Lydia. “Well, at least they got one thing right.”

“And what’s that?” Lydia tilted her head to the side, fixing the collar of Jordan’s blue and white plaid shirt.

“You are _stunning_.” Jordan smirked at Lydia, who had just started laughing.

“Tell me something I don’t know.” Lydia passed by her boyfriend. “You coming or what?” she asked from the corner of the hallway.

Jordan shut the door and followed her. “So,” Jordan picked Lydia up and carried her bridal style until they made it to the loveseat in the living room. He set her down gently. “Melissa’s gone for the night.” He plopped down beside her. “What are we going to do with all that free time?”

“We have a birthday party to plan,” Lydia reminded him.

“Of course we do.” Jordan reached for the white wine and glasses he set out just before he let her in. “But first we relax.” He filled their glasses halfway and then set the bottle back on the table in front of them. “To us,” Jordan handed Lydia her drink.

“Jordan, are we—“ Lydia paused. “Are we celebrating something I’m not aware of?” Lydia and Jordan had never drunk together before, so it was somewhat odd that suddenly Jordan wanted to.

“What?” Jordan chuckled. “No, Lydia.” She narrowed her eye at Jordan. In no way did she believe him. “Okay, maybe slightly.”

“Alright, I’m listening.” Lydia nodded, mentally preparing herself for whatever followed. She had no idea what to expect or if she’d actually like it. It couldn’t be bad though, right? This was Jordan, after all. He was just a total teddy bear. Jordan Parrish had no flaws, but if he did Lydia hadn’t noticed.

“Well, first off… Amazing job in court today! Harrison Jones and his lawyer had no idea what hit them. 30 years.” Jordan cocked his head to the side. “They didn’t stand a chance.”

Lydia nodded. “Well, they don’t call me a shark for nothing. I get results. Stay on team Lydia.”

“You’re kidding, right?” He shook his head. “There’s literally nowhere else I’d rather be. Team Lydia it is.” Jordan stared at Lydia in awe, making her smile.

“So what’s the other thing?” She looked away and took a sip of her wine.

“Oh, right.” Jordan nodded. “Because of your success today, guess who was just promoted to Lieutenant.”

“No,” she smiled and he laughed. He had been so intent on earning a higher rank for a year. It was finally happening. Jordan and Lydia—they made quite the team. Jordan caught them, and Lydia made sure they weren’t a threat to society. “Jordan that’s amazing! You deserve it.” Lydia rushed to her feet. “Hang on.” She set her wine glass on the table and headed over to her own house. Lydia unlocked the door and flipped the lights on. She was passing the kitchen when she smelled that same vanilla scent from the notes she and Jordan had been receiving. Lydia looked around for something— like a weapon—she could use if she needed to. All she had was an umbrella. That was going to have to be good enough. Lydia was _not_ going to ruin Jordan’s bliss with the news of a break-in. Slowly, she roamed her house making sure it was safe. The next day she was just going to have to invest in a new security system. The perfume was much stronger in Lydia’s living room, as if the intruder either had just left or actually sprayed perfume in there. The latter, Lydia assumed. She walked around to the coffee table and picked up a freshly scented note.

**This is disappointing. I told you to stay away. It’s been over 3 weeks. Lydia Martin, I thought you would be smarter than to ignore my warning. Here’s another one. Get out. Get away from him. Oh, and I hope you don’t mind but I helped myself to some of your cookies while you were away! Kudos. (P.S. Right now you’re probably startled that my scent is so strong. I heard you walk in, so I left you a little whiff. Something to remember me by until next time. Don’t look for me. I’ll be long gone. Or will I?) Sweet dreams, Love.**

“I just missed her,” Lydia dropped the note onto the couch. She kept the umbrella clutched tight in her hands and headed upstairs to her bedroom. In the back of her closet, Lydia found what she was looking for. “Gotcha.” She smiled and jogged back down the stairs, dropped the umbrella, and slammed the door behind her.

A blonde woman emerged from the closet nearest the living room and sighed. “That was too close.” She looked down and went back into the living room. The woman took a look around at the pictures and plaques on the walls. “Yale? That’s ambitious. Good for you, Martin. Good for you.” She grinned and casually slipped out the back door. She snuck to the side of Jordan’s house, peaking in at Lydia and Jordan through a slit in the curtains blocking the room’s window.

Meanwhile, at Jordan’s house Lydia was smiling at him as if she didn’t actually have that encounter back in her house. “So do you remember that time you and Melissa invited me out of town with you? Last month?”

“Yeah, of course.” Jordan took Lydia’s hand, pulling her from where she stood beside the couch and into his lap. “We went to Miami. Surprisingly we were the only ones at the beach when we went.” Jordan laughed. “And we got rained out. Officially my worst beach trip ever.”

“Yeah,” Lydia smiled up at him. “But before the rain. You wanted to try surfing. And you caught this huge wave and dominated it.”  Lydia was giggling at this point. “At first, anyway.”

“And then I completely failed.” Jordan shook his head. “I slipped off the board!”

“But you were adorable doing it.” Lydia ran her hand through Jordan’s hair. He loved when she did that and then she’d slowly maneuver her hand down to Jordan’s chest and just let it rest there. Jordan held her hand in place. Lydia’s favorite part, though, was when she observed Jordan’s facial expression and the way he looked at her made her realize she could finally let her guard down. He would never hurt her because he adored Lydia way too much to let her down. “Uh,” she smiled down at their hands. “I was going to wait for this weekend, but your promotion deserves a gift and this is all I’ve got for you.” Lydia reached behind the couch where she left it. “I was at an art show last week and just outside the studio I met a young artist. When I saw this I thought about that day at the beach.” It was an oil painting of a [surfer riding a wave](https://img0.etsystatic.com/060/0/6405715/il_570xN.748318110_o9ms.jpg). The woman outside left. Jordan smiled. “It’s okay if you hate it, you know. I just thought it might be nice to look at once in a while.”

“No,” he chuckled. “No, you have interesting taste in art. I love it. Thank you.” Lydia nodded. It was true. Jordan thought the painting was cool, especially because blue was his favorite color. He set the painting aside and held onto Lydia’s waist. Jordan pecked Lydia’s lips. He was happy. This was different from his usual level of happiness. It felt better. He had a daughter he loved to bits, and he had Lydia Martin. She was becoming such a huge part of his life already. What could possibly make this any better?

That night Lydia didn’t go back home. Instead, they stayed at Jordan’s and planned Melissa’s birthday. Once that was over with, the couple headed upstairs, finished their bottle of wine, and took advantage of their only night to themselves. No lurkers, no distractions, just Lydia and Jordan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The gift inspired by the link.


	5. Who Are You Really

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is Lydia-centric, very little interaction with Jordan.

“Miss Martin?” Taylor’s soft voice called through Lydia’s speakerphone. She was at work studying her current casefiles. She didn’t want any distractions, so hearing her new assistant’s voice calling her made her groan. “Sorry.” Taylor paused for some indication she should just wait until later, but Lydia didn’t say anything. “You have a delivery.”

“Okay, bring it in.” Lydia set her work on her desk and in a matter of only seconds, Taylor was strutting towards her, long brown hair swaying as she did. Taylor set the box down to the side of Lydia’s files. “Thank you, Taylor.” Lydia reached for a pair of scissors and cut through the tape on the small cardboard box. Taylor left the room without another word to give Lydia her privacy. Inside the package was a box of chocolates accompanied by a note. The scent on that note was slowly fading away.

**Hello again, my dearest Lydia. It’s me. Obviously. The time is actually flying by. It seems like it was only yesterday when I first started surprising you with these _thoughtful_ notes. Our time will end soon. When it does, I hope you will be ready.**

“Ready for what?” Lydia whispered and looked around as if somebody could actually hear.

**Anyway, I stopped by the store to fulfill some cravings and, although they might not be as great as what you could bake up for yourself, I thought you could use a little snack. It’s the least I could do, right?**

**Until we speak again,**

**(Take your best guess. Who am I?)**

**P.S. The heart is a fragile thing to give. Keep it to yourself if you know what’s good for you. Nobody should have enough power to hurt you. Ever. Toodles!**

Lydia was confused about the note and this woman’s motives. Was _she_ pro- Lydia? Was it meant to be another warning? What did this woman want? How did _she_ even know where Lydia worked and the hours she’d be there? Lydia’s head was racing with questions, and now she just needed answers. There was only one person who could answer them. And she didn’t know how to contact _her_. _Great_.

Lydia rushed out of her office. “Taylor?” Nothing. Taylor’s desk was right across from Lydia’s office and she was supposed to stay there. Where was she? “Taylor?” Lydia called louder, crossed her arms, and tapped her foot against the ground repeatedly.

“Sorry!” Taylor power walked back to her desk with two coffees in her hands. She handed one to Lydia. “Coffee run.” Every day around that same time, 2:45 pm, Taylor would fix coffee for herself and for Lydia. Lydia was never needy like Taylor’s former bosses were. In fact, she never asked for anything. She was just so used to doing everything on her own and didn’t feel the need for an assistant. “So what can I do for you?” Taylor beamed, glad to finally be sought out.

“Did you see where that package came from?” Lydia twisted the cup in her hands.

“Uh no,” Taylor sat down. “It was just a courier service.”

“Fine,” Lydia nodded and headed back to her office. “I need the company name, phone number, description of the person who delivered it… Whatever you have for me.” Lydia left her door open, sat down, and waited for Taylor to report back.

“Here,” Taylor walked slowly to Lydia. “The company’s located over on Boylston. You can’t miss it.” She handed over a post-it note with an address sloppily printed in blue ink. Lydia stood up and passed Taylor.

“Forward all calls to my cell.” Lydia stopped at the door and looked back at Taylor. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Without another word Lydia left. She entered the address into her car’s GPS and followed its directions. Twenty minutes later she was nearly there, but got stuck in the middle of nowhere. Her GPS glitched and as she was trying to fix it, the car just—turned off. “What? No no no! This is a brand new car!” Lydia twisted the key hoping it would work and the car would turn back on. It didn’t. She continued to twist the key and failed each time. Lydia groaned, hitting the steering wheel. She had two options at this point. Either walk several miles in heels on this dirt road, or call Jordan. Lydia was definitely not walking or calling for a tow. She watched too many movies to decide either of those would ever be a good idea. “Okay,” she sighed. “Jordan it is.”

Lydia just knew what he would say when he found out what she was up to. He’d be upset she tried to do this and eventually confront the _blonde-haired woman_ on her own. Without telling him about it. Jordan arrived, and surprisingly Lydia was actually wrong about something. Jordan wasn’t mad at all, but a heads up might’ve been nice. Jordan failed to figure out what was wrong with the car, so Lydia rode with him and they went to the store together. She wanted to go in alone, though. Lydia needed to do this on her own. Lydia walked inside slowly and roamed around.

“Lydia?” A vaguely familiar voice called from behind her. She turned around and immediately recognized the face before her. Her face was pale, eyes blue, and hair platinum blonde. Lydia remembered her from this morning and every other day. She made a habit of saying hello to Lydia every day before either of them left for work since they generally left around the same time.

“Um Jenny, right?” Lydia honestly didn’t pay much attention. How could she remember the correct name? _I wonder if this is the person sending us those notes_ , Lydia thought. “You… work for a courier?”

“Jamie.” She corrected Lydia with a forced smile painted on her face. It was embarrassing, even more so for Jamie than for Lydia. After all that time Jamie spent being polite to Lydia and greeting her, Lydia didn’t even know who she was talking to. “Can I help you?”

“I received a package today and I need you to help me figure out where it came from.” Lydia wasn’t sure Jamie actually would be able to help, but she had to start somewhere. Step by step, Jamie and Lydia exchanged information about the package. Jamie even let Lydia see footage from the surveillance camera, but nothing added up. Nobody looked familiar on the camera’s angles and their details weren’t quite the same in any way. Something was missing. Lydia couldn’t figure it out. All she knew was that she was more confused than she was when she first walked in the store.

Lydia’s phone began ringing. Before she could accept the call, Jamie smiled. “That’s it! That was her.”

“What?” It couldn’t be—No. Lydia couldn’t believe that. She knew and somewhat trusted this person. There was no way.

“She looked slightly different, but I definitely saw that woman in here. Actually it was yesterday, but she requested that a package be held for delivery on _today_.” Jamie looked up at Lydia. “I think you’ve found your uh— _pen pal_.” Was it a trick? Lydia couldn’t help but think this whole time Jamie was simply misleading her so she wouldn’t think it was her. Deter the attention from herself? Lydia saw it all the time in interrogation and court rooms. It wasn’t that far of a leap from the truth.

Could it have been Jamie? It was a huge coincidence, if any at all. Both women were blonde, and on the same day Lydia receives a package from the woman she’s been inquiring about she’s led to Jamie. This is the same person who works for a courier and **_lives_** in Lydia’s neighborhood. The two must have been linked, right?

Lydia headed back to Jordan’s car. “Hey _detective_ ,” he smiled as she settled into her seat. “How’d it go in there?”

“I think I just solved the case. I’m just not sure whether or not I like my suspect for it.” Lydia ran her fingers through her hair. “Let’s go home. I need your help.”

Once they got to Lydia’s house, she powered her laptop on and told Jordan everything she knew. He tapped into the DMV’s database and searched for the two names Lydia gave him. They were just about to make a breakthrough. Jordan could feel it. That’s when it happened. The screen read: NO MATCH. “She doesn’t exist,” he peeled his eyes away from the computer screen. “It has to be her. Why else would she give you a fake name?”

“Do you realize what this means?”

“Yeah.” Jordan sighed. “I know.”

After Jordan left Lydia’s house, Lydia wrote her own note.

**_I KNOW WHO YOU ARE NOW._ **

She opened the door, looking around outside just in case _she_ was there. Lydia taped it to her front door and just waited. She wanted to hear footsteps outside or just something that would give _her_ away. She needed to see it with her own eyes. Lydia fell asleep waiting until there was a knock at the door. She hurried to open the door. Nobody was there, but there was new writing on Lydia’s note.

**Doubt it. Not _really._ Stay tuned! Tomorrow will be a blast.**


End file.
